As First Bank & Trust East Texas celebrates its 60th anniversary during 2013, bank officials look back on a history that began in 1953 in Diboll when it was a sawmill town. What started as Diboll State Bank, which opened with deposits of less than $825,000, has now evolved into First Bank & Trust East Texas, which has more than $740,000,000 in deposits, a service area of 18 locations spread throughout East Texas and the 18th largest Trust Department in the State of Texas.

"The bank has a long history of serving the communities in which we live and work," said President and CEO Jay Shands. "We will continue our focus of personal customer service and contributing to the communities we serve."

Described in the original application for the bank's charter, in 1953, Diboll was a community of 2,500. Southern Pine, the town's largest employer, made lumber while Temple-White made broom handles. The town's two other principal employers were Temple Associates, a construction firm, and the Texas South-Eastern Railroad. Diboll had eleven grocery stores, five filling stations, five barber shops, eight restaurants, one movie theater, one hotel and eight churches. There were 700 homes.

In 1987, Diboll State Bank acquired People's National Bank, Lufkin, and with a name change gave Angelina County a new banking institution, First Bank & Trust East Texas.

Today, First Bank & Trust operates five locations in Angelina County and has offices in Cleveland, Splendora, Porter, Nacogdoches, Jasper, Hemphill, Pineland, San Augustine, Tyler, Longview and Palestine.

Shands said he is proud of the employees and their efforts to remain in touch with the communities to make an impact on the lives of others. "I am proud of our employees and their dedication to their community and the bank."

"I believe our employees see how their work affects the community," he said, adding employees are encouraged to participate in local organizations, sharing the common goal to make East Texas a better place.

Looking ahead, Shands said while technology will continue to play a larger role in everyone's lives, the importance of personal contact cannot be forgotten. "We will continue to focus on maintaining that personal touch. Having someone you know and trust is even more important today than it was in the past."